a fig or two of the "weed," in order to make it up with him. Shortly after, another pig was brought as a present for me because I had ascended Tongadido. I could not find out who sent it, and was obliged to let the natives take it along with them. I found it had been given by some person on the road, and had been driven on by some of the hangers-on of my party. This was a curious circumstance, as most of the natives were exceedingly jealous of my achievement. Fire-wood was very scarce here, so that I was obliged to buy it, giving an inch of tobacco for a back-load, a very high price considering the ordinary prices current of New Zealand. Went a short distance on the lake, back to the village where Mr. Chapman's house was building, in order to please Peter.
March 6th.—Had some difficulty in getting a canoe to-day, owing to a disinclination on the part of my natives to leave the place. I do not know what had become of the canoe we brought with us, but suppose some people who wanted to go to the other end of the lake had taken it with them. When I found out that there was no disinclination on the part of the natives at the village to lend me a canoe, but that only my own natives wished to throw obstacles in the way of going, I soon got over all difficulties by a few figs of tobacco judiciously applied.
I was told, just as I was thinking of starting, that the chief of Towpo wanted to see me, and was waiting for me. I accordingly went to a place where they pointed out three men sitting very gravely; the one in front was the chief. He was a remarkably fine man, upwards of six feet high, and very strongly built—a complete giant. He was also very handsome, and one of the fairest of the New Zealand men I ever saw; indeed I have seen but few women fairer. He did not appear in a particularly good temper, and after about five minutes' talk he suddenly arose from his seat, and began to walk up and down, and stamp, talking all the
